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The French called it Riviere au Castor. To the Delaware Indians living along its banks, it was Amockwi-sipu. Both of these names mean the same thing: Beaver River. When the state of Pennsylvania authorized that a new county be erected along its banks, there was no need to search for a suitable name. Similarly, when the new town and future county seat had been laid out at the mouth of the river, the obvious name was there. Thus was Beaver County and its first town named for the most distinctive feature of its landscape. ( A state historical marker in Beaver ascribes the town's name to King Beaver, an early Delaware chieftain. Local references, including Bausman, do not support this theory.)
This river, incidentally, was named for a rodent which was largely responsible for a war between the world's two major powers. (The French and Indians vs. the British, but that's another story).
Reviewing the names of the 54 communities in Beaver County (30 boroughs, 22 townships and two cities), we find that many of them originated from streams. Big Beaver Borough, South Beaver Twp. and the city of Beaver Falls share the heritage of Beaver in the source of their name. Fallston Borough can be grouped with these, since it is situated along the "falls" of the Beaver. Raccoon Twp. earned its name from Raccoon Creek, while Ohioville Borough, formerly Ohio Twp., was named for the county's other river. And Big Sewickley Creek, the boundary between Beaver and Allegheny Counties, is the source of the name of Sewickley T\vp., which later split to form present-day North Sewickley Twp. and New Sewickley T\vp.
Eleven communities have names borrowed from other countries. Hanover Twp. and Baden Borough are named for cities in Germany. Frankfort, also a German city, later became Frankfort Springs, expanding its name to benefit from the big local attraction of the time. New Galilee reflects a region in the Holy Land. On a tour of England, we would find Bridgewater, Rochester, and Brighton, Rochester Borough in turn, gave its name to Rochester T\vp. and East Rochester Borough. The last leg of our world tour might take us to the Scottish namesake of little Glasgow Borough.
Some communities were named because of their location. Center T\vp., is of course, in the center of the county. South Heights is on the southern border. Eastvale is on the east side of the Beaver vale. The founders of Shippingport, along the Ohio River, hoped that the town would become what its name implies. Midland refers to the middle, or interior of the nation.
The largest group of place names comes from people. At least ten communities were named for local personalities, mostly early settlers. Thus is the name of Matthias Hook preserved in the Borough of Hookstown, and James Patterson in Patterson Heights and Patterson Twp. Edward Daugherty and John White were both early residents in the Townships which now bear their name. Potter Twp. reminds us of the pioneer Potter family who lived along Raccoon Creek.
Koppel Borough perpetuates the name of Arthur Koppel, whose Koppel Car Works was the chief industry in the community prior to World War I. In the Conway Cemetery in Conway Borough lie the remains of Michael Conway, for whom the town was named.
Two communities bear the names of' Indian leaders. Monaca is the shortened name of an Iroquois chieftain, Monacatootha, or Great Arrow, who met with Washington in 1753. He later succeeded the renowned Tanacharison, "White-Eyes," as Half-King or governor over the local Delaware tribes.
Another native leader with whom Washington conferred was the Queen Aliquippa, who was either a Delaware or Seneca depending on the reference, and who lived near present-day McKeesport when she met the young major from Virginia. A controversy exists on the naming of Georgetown Borough, the venerable old river town. The state historical marker tells us that the name is a tribute to George Washington, while local tradition holds that the honor goes to an early resident of the area, George Dawson.
Four other names can be traced with more certainty to contemporaries of Washington who were popular figures of the Revolutionary Period. The presentday map of Beaver County commemorates the names of Generals Nathaniel Greene (Township), Casimir Pulaski (Township) and Francis Marion (Township), as well as the great writer, inventor and diplomat of the period, Benjamin Franklin (Township).
President Martin Van Buren is remembered in Vanport Twp. Ellwood City was named by its founder, Henry W. Hartman, for his friend and fellow industrialist from Indiana, Isaac Ellwood. The Darlingtons (Borough and Twp.) were named in an unusual way, according to local legend (as related by Bausman). Originally named Greersburg for an early resident, there was much confusion in mail deliveries with Greensburg. A Pittsburgh merchant named Darlington reportedly suggested changing the name of the town and offered his own name for consideration as one which would not be confused with anything else. The offer was evidently accepted.
Three of our townships were named for groups of people. Harmony Twp. was named for the Harmony Society, which owned all of the land in the township at the time it was erected. Hopewell Twp., according to legend, earned its name from an early church congregation of the same name. An Indian tribe, the Ojibway or Chippewa, lent its name to the third township in this group.
Two small towns in the north seem to have been named for their railroad stations. At least the stations were there long before the boroughs were incorporated, and we can find no other reason for the names. No doubt many a fair-sized city arose from a cluster of shacks around a railroad station, named arbitrarily by some railroad official. The towns are West Mayfield and Homewood. The railroad was the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago, and is now the main line of the Conrail System. There is a "Mayfield" in the anthracite region, but there's no connection - either by logic or by railroad. (Monaca might also fit into this group, since a P&LE RR station by that name existed for many years before Phillipsburg changed its name).
The name of Ambridge defies being placed in a category with anything else. It is simply a contraction of the leading industry, the American Bridge Company.
Finally, several communities were named for abstract qualities. How appropriate, that in our fair county of Beaver we should find many of our people living in Industry and Economy, as well as Freedom and Independence!